ODYSSEY (Punishing: Gray Raven X Arknights X OC Characters)

Vol. 1/ Chapter 2: Two satellites

County Hillock

“So Lee, how did you get here?” Jane asked as the car made a slow descent towards a downward part of the road. “I mean, County Hillock is quite far from Londinium. Don't tell me you two walked all the way from there?”

Lee, who was the one busy taking the brunt of every conversation, was now in dire need of assistance. He thought that having the same language as the people in this place would give him the opportunity to have an upper hand at them. Turns out, that notion was flipped upside down.

‘Londinium... Victoria... And a horned girl driving a car. Haha, fuck. I really am crazy.’

He gave a sidelong glance to the girl sitting beside him in hopes she would back him up on this one, but got no response. Either she was really busy gawking and admiring the beautiful scenery from the aisle window, or she was deliberately ignoring his silent pleas of help.

She was definitely ignoring him, which caused him to brace himself for more questions.

‘Alpha...damn you!’

“Oh, well, believe it or not but...we both have no recollections of any events prior to waking up in a middle of a flower field. That's why we were standing in the side of the road, since well...” His sentence trailed off midair, hesitant to tell what Alpha told him.

Jane gasped after hearing that.
“Oh my! Were you guys kidnapped or something? It happens around here often...” her tone sounded genuinely worried.

“Nothing of the sort...I can't explain it in words either...” Lee awkwardly chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

“Well, it's a good thing I found you then! Ah, I feel like I've done something genuinely good you know?” Jane responded gleefully and managed to dissolve the gloomy atmosphere.

“You see, I actually live in the town. I just came back from the capital, and now I can't believe I've made friends already!” she added with a laugh.

“Friends huh..?” Lee uttered, which didn't go unnoticed.

“Yeah, isn't it fun to meet new people? I just got out of the academy from a two year course, and now I'm a full time cadet! It's my first time talking to people from outside the school grounds for two years.” Jane added.

“Academy...cadet...you mean, cadet as in soldiering?” Lee interjected. To him, he thought that she would be working at a high class workplace or something. Turns out his expectations were off the mark once again.

“Yes, technically, a rookie. Whoa, you guys really aren't from here aren'tcha?” A pout forms on her face, but it quickly turned into a gasp, and then into a smile

“So that means... I can give you a tour! What say you matey?” She excitedly turns around, causing the vehicle to stir sideways uncontrollably. They nearly crashed into a tree, but somehow miraculously dodged it.

“W-Watch the road please!” Lee exclaimed as he held the bar handle above him tightly. Alpha glanced at him with a seemingly amused expression as she calmly sat beside him, unfazed by the uneven road.

“I'll take that as a yes! County Hillock, here we go!” Jane cheered all to herself and stepped on the gas pedal, accelerating the vehicle faster. Lee had to control his voice to avoid screaming.

After a few minutes of driving, the sight of the town finally became closer. It was comparable to that of victorian era of the 18 to 19th century Britain. Most of the houses was made of solid bricks and cobblestones, and had the distinct antiquity of its designs.

The road outside of town wasn't fully renovated yet, but the streets within the town are all concrete. What surprised Lee and Alpha was that cars seemed like a normal source of transportation in this place, as well as a mix of other things. For example, they spotted kids riding bicycles in a small park.